It all went nearly as planned. Nearly. For a start, it was quite a hassle to get the bikes onto the train, fuel tanks needed to be emptied, front baskets and rear view mirrors taken off. Once we arrived in Da Nang (just north of Hoi An) we had to conclude that we had made a bad decision taking the train. The bikes were transported on a different train that would arrive only the next day.
Being left stranded in a town that consisted of not much more than shops and markets we booked into a reasonable hotel and made the most of the situation.
Hoi An
After this little delay we eventually made it into the ancient sea side town of Hoi An, a town that became one of our favourites for a number of reasons. It offered beautiful architecture, pedestrian friendly walkways and countless photo opportunities. Not surprisingly, it was very touristy, however this time in a pleasant kind of way.Food wise it was also one of the most varied places, with the market food hall close by we had a vast choice of local food combined with the odd treat of Western cuisine on the high street. Here we discovered the best Pizza we tried outside of Italy!
th With a long route ahead and limited time we carried on. The area still held a pleasant surprise in store for us. Having acquired fame through the Top Gear Vietnam special, it sure didn't disappoint us either: The Haivan Pass. Jeremy Clarkson quoted it as: "A deserted ribbon of perfection, one of the best coastal roads in the world."
Caves
With our luck not running dry this time, also our next stops turned out to be a success. One of the few World Heritage sites that hasn't yet been corrupted by mass tourism: The caves in Phong Ngha National Park.A mountain range with some of the world’s largest and most spectacular caves located amidst tranquil country scenery. Here we took the chance to do some hiking with fellow travellers and socialize with other backpackers in the Farmstay we stayed in. Being run by an Australian, it wasn't cheap, but after the long time spent in practically "tourist free" regions, it was nice to be able to exchange travel experiences with others.
Convoy
It was also the place where we met Dave, Jan, Simon and Brad: A group of other backpackers that were headed to North Vietnam also on bikes. An opportunity we couldn’t resist and so it happened, we were in a convoy!We all just met there and then, brought together by one thing: our two wheeled friends. It turned out a good combination of characters that allowed easy conversation. Even though travelling in a group makes it harder to take photos, the positive aspects well outweighed that minor flaw. Spectacular mountain scenery, countless turns, empty roads and the buzz of our motorbikes gave it all a great sense of unity.
Of course, there were, nevertheless a few hickups. One of them being the heaviest rainfall we had yet encountered whilst en route. Although the rainfall was apocalyptic, we didn't stop. Unfortunately, it did lead to a breaking up of the group. Two men down we spent the night in a godforsaken village. Thanks to mobile phones we reunited the next day. Also some of the bikes in the group were not in the best of shapes and were playing up on a regular basis. Oh well, shit happens.
Member of the Club
I also contributed my bit of drama on our second day together. Driving behind Jan and looking around the scenery I failed to spot a brick sized rock and consequentially hit it. At roughly 70KM/h the impact was so hard I split the rock, dented my front rim and badly pinched the inner tube, immediately flattening the front tire.
With no steering I fell and skidded for a couple of meters. Luckily, there wasn’t any oncoming traffic and thanks to the layout of my bike I only had a couple of abrasions. So I too became a member of the club. But the wounds would heal eventually and hey, as our friend sais: If you survive it, it'll make a good story!
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